New Article popped up if your interested. www.videogamer.com/news/funcom_aoc_will_last_longer_than_anarchy_online.html

"Funcom has bullishly claimed that MMORPG Age of Conan will last longer than Anarchy Online, an MMO that recently celebrated its eight year anniversary.

In January Funcom merged a number of Age of Conan servers, a move normally the result of a player base spread thin over too many servers. It led some to fear for the future of the game, following its troubled 2008 launch."
 

"Speaking to VideoGamer.com to discuss the move, game director Craig Morrison moved to reassure players concerned by the health of the game, and of Funcom itself.

“MMOs are a long-term investment,” he said. “Just last week Anarchy Online, the other MMO that we currently run live, celebrated its eighth birthday. I see Conan running for just as long, if not longer. These games, we’re in it for the long term. We as a company know how to run the games cost effectively in the long term. We’re a publicly traded company. Anyone who wants to look up our financial situation can see that the company is very sound and has a large amount of cash equity sitting there in the bank. We’ll be here for some time to come.”
 

For anyone questioning the health of the game from this perspective, as there has been a few "predictions" of late. This is FC's public response for consideration.

What do I think? I think it could very go on for another 8 years forsure. So long as there is enough decent content coming through then I don't forsee myself not playing in the short term. At the moment I am very happy with the progress being made. At the same time I have not played an mmo for more that 5½ yrs before. So really I am not interested in the past and not so much in the far future, just the short term future say over a year. With what is on the drawing board is good enough for me now. But that is a pretty big claim though.

There is also a bit of an interview here on the same site:  http://www.videogamer.com/news/should_you_give_age_of_conan_a_second_chance.html

Im not a believer Avery.

Originally posted by Elsabolts

Im not a believer Avery.

I wouldn't dare label you one my friend :)

Just putting out what was said, it is no skin off my teeth and my expectations for games are a lot less of a period that AO.

If I invest time into a character naturally I want him to be good at the same time there has to be a reason to keep paying, and right now the stuff that has been coming out and will be coming out in the short term future is good enough for me.

While AoC may last a few years, it doesn't have the complexity and depth that AO has, which is the one thing that has enabled AO to hang on to the small but loyal fanbase it has. AoC would have to pump out 2-3 expansions a year to match the content available in AO, which only has 3 expansions and two booster packs in it's 8 year total.

As far as I see it, AoC is too shallow, too instanced, and too focused on a quick trip to endgame to match AO's longevity. Even if AO were killed right this minute to shorten the time needed to outlive it, AoC would still be years short.

This is merely my humble opinion and should be taken as such, of course.

We will see in about 8 years. See you then on this forum.

Expansions expansions expansions. If Age of Conan releases frequent expansions, the game might have a chance.

Not hardly. Sadly besides WoW I don't see any MMORPG released in the past couple years having the longevity of earlier MMORPGs.

Originally posted by AlienShirt

Not hardly. Sadly besides WoW I don't see any MMORPG released in the past couple years having the longevity of earlier MMORPGs.

Seems like it , and to add to the AoC will last longer than Anachy Online. They are implementing a new engine with fresher grafix so Id say see in about 10 years if youre right...

Originally posted by Zorvan

As far as I see it, AoC is too shallow, too instanced, and too focused on a quick trip to endgame to match AO's longevity. Even if AO were killed right this minute to shorten the time needed to outlive it, AoC would still be years short.

You might be right there, but it all depends in how the game changes over time. EQ2 wouldn't have lasted long the way it was after launch either.

If FC re invent the crafting system, the guildcity system (here they could actually make a wonderful system that are close to the Stronghold games) and start making larger zones (something EQ2 have done and AoC can do with time also, peoples computers are getting better and better today).

If they just add more stuff to what they have right now I don't think the game will last 8 years, but Craig seems to try to make the game better in all the ways he can. Of course only time will tell but it is not impossible that AoC can last 8 years also.

The game do still need work. Some new minigames would be fun, like horse or chariot racing and stuff like that, not just the old capture the flag games.  Maybe an actual arena in OT with gladiators, racing and so on were people could sign up to compete or go there to watch and bet money.

Originally posted by patrikd23

Originally posted by AlienShirt

Not hardly. Sadly besides WoW I don't see any MMORPG released in the past couple years having the longevity of earlier MMORPGs.

 

Seems like it , and to add to the AoC will last longer than Anachy Online. They are implementing a new engine with fresher grafix so Id say see in about 10 years if youre right...

I think you guys are right.

And to add to what Zorv was saying, yes AO was a number cruncher with depth, and AoC is designed differently, at the same time at least in the graphics area there is a good foundation there, and whilst graphics are not everything, they do kinda draw people in. As people upgrade their PC's over time that depth can be added too. As Conan is not as much of a number cruncher but at the same time is pretty good for the casual gamer it depends on which you view as having more people over a longer time in retention but at the same time if the updates can be good enough...

Originally posted by AlienShirt

Not hardly. Sadly besides WoW I don't see any MMORPG released in the past couple years having the longevity of earlier MMORPGs.

Guildwars? EQ2 for that matter...

Anyways it is impossible to tell if a game is up in 5 years from now or not.

I don't know all of the "in's and out's" of what FC does and unless your in the loop I doubt anyone really does.

Having said that, I can see the game lasting that long. I'm sure that at this time, they see the same. The only problem is that 8 years is forever in the game and tech world and with such a large unknown its hard to say what will be around, if anything, in 8 years.

AoC has a ton of potential and if FC makes even a small attempt to reach that potential then it will all be good in the end.

Just wanted to add that Sil did reply to the question on Twitter too:  "MMOs are a long term project, would definitely like to see Age of Conan live as long as AO has, and for AO to keep going as well!"

I don't think it is anything against AO or positioned like that, rather that AO has set a goal to aspire too.

for years everquest their were people each year an day claiming its demise wass "soon" .i resubed to aoc as my second game  besides eq.some of the quests are very well writen ,many of the bugs that drove me to cancle a year ago seemed to be squished.cancled wow for it.

may try lotr some time but aoc has my atention atm as a side mmo.its not what was promised prerealease for sure but few mmos are.

It is very possible especially if the Conan movie comes out to really boost up interest in the theme from the masses.

AoC visually is second to none at the moment for a MMO.

They can mitigate some of the "instanced" feel by making it more transparent when moving between areas.

I spoke to one of the developers and they are working on that very issue.

You can see a little progress on this when you move from Tarantia to Tarantia Commons through the water.

The fact that the zones ARE instanced actually gives them a lot more flexibility technically to do certain things and events.

1.05 was a big /win for AoC. They now have a decent foundation to build on going into the future.

Now all they have to do is put the content in for endgame especially for PvP players.

OPEN WORLD PVP OBJECTIVES NEED TO HAPPEN SOON! :)

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

New Article popped up if your With what is on the drawing board is good enough for me now. But that is a pretty big claim though.

No, it would be a big claim if you were suggesting other people should have yours.

Stating your preference isn't a big claim, just stating a fact.

symantical issue with "claim" is possible, i just didnt find ur preference that explosive :P

I'd like to see it last. Hell, I'd just like to SEE it. Unfortunately, every time I run the updater and click 'play', the thing crashes.

In the process of deleting and redownloading the thing. Who knows, maybe it got FUBAR the first time around.

Originally posted by Sabradin

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

New Article popped up if your With what is on the drawing board is good enough for me now. But that is a pretty big claim though.

 

No, it would be a big claim if you were suggesting other people should have yours.

Stating your preference isn't a big claim, just stating a fact.

symantical issue with "claim" is possible, i just didnt find ur preference that explosive :P

Course it would be, but spurious quote edit's to give fallacious impression's might get you some explosive forum drama

I wouldn't post erroneous news as topic for discussion as parti pris, that is best left to those to try and try again.

Simply put, it is a big claim, but one in which only time will tell and one from which Funcom would have hoped to have learned from previous ones.

Which leads me to think the Expansion is going to rock! Internal presentations already done. Proper ground work for AoC layed, pretty much anything but balance and pure content will come now. I'm an upbeat guy.

eh... keeping a game up for 8 years is no problem.   They simply cut all the customer service and reduce the dev team to about 'nil' and have 10-20k people pay $15 per month to play a game that is on life support. 

The question players have to ask is 'why pay $15 to play a game that is on life support, when you can pay the same amount and get a game that adds free new content every few months'.

I'm sure even 10-20k players are enough to make it worth funcom's while to leave the servers up.  But you've seen from the anniversary 'event' what kind of new content you can expect.   Might as well play UO or AO, which have much more content already in the game and adds new content faster than AOC.

A free2play game whos servers havent had their power cut is really how they want to advertise AoCs future?

Things must be really bad if a game company feel it has to go around announcing their year old title won't shutting down soon. This gives me HellGate London flashbacks.

I can't believe Fun Com doesn't just shut up, they seem to have foot in mouth disease. And anyone over the age of 18 knows to Never Say Never.

 God this company really has a problem with always sounding completely full of Sh*t, they really need to shut up, and let their work speak for itself.

P.S. what's up with the Fun Com guy here trolling his own game so it gets flamed?? the company about to lay him off to keep the game going for 8 years?